Pool Cleaner With Hydraulic Timer Assembly

ABSTRACT

According to some embodiments, a pool cleaner includes a chassis, a housing supported by the chassis, at least one drive wheel supported by the chassis, and a turbine assembly that rotates in one of a first direction and a second direction to drive the at least one drive wheel. The pool cleaner also includes a timer disc assembly with at least one rotating timer disc. The timer disc assembly controls a flow of pressurized fluid away from the housing in a forward direction for backward propulsion assistance of the pool cleaner during a first time period, a rearward direction for forward propulsion assistance of the pool cleaner during a second time period, and a sideways direction for turning propulsion assistance of the pool cleaner during at least a portion of one of the first time period and the second time period. The timer disc assembly also controls a flow of pressurized fluid to the turbine assembly through a first opening for driving the turbine assembly in the first direction during the first time period and a second opening for driving the turbine assembly in the second direction during the second time period.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims the benefit of U.S. patent application Ser. No.13/252,103 filed on Oct. 3, 2011, the entire contents of which areincorporated herein by reference.

BACKGROUND

Automatic swimming pool cleaners include components for driving the poolcleaners along the floor and sidewalls of a swimming pool, either in arandom or deliberate manner. For example, conventional pressure sidecleaners and suction cleaners often use hydraulic turbine assemblies asdrive systems to drive one or more wheels. Robotic cleaners ofteninclude a motor or other mechanical system powered by an external powersource to drive one or more wheels.

With respect to pressure side cleaners and suction cleaners, vacuumsystems of the cleaners (e.g., to vacuum debris from the floor andsidewalls and deposit the debris into a debris bag or debris canister)are often integrated with the drive systems. As a result, changesoccurring in the drive system, such as turning or reversing motion, canaffect the vacuum system. In some conventional pool cleaners, vacuumsystems are only capable of vacuuming debris during forward motion ofthe drive system.

With respect to robotic cleaners, scrubber assemblies are often used aswheels for driving the cleaners. The scrubber assemblies also provideassistance to the vacuum systems by agitating debris along the surfacestraveled by the cleaner to facilitate debris pick-up. These types ofpool cleaners cannot operate without the scrubber assemblies presentbecause they are an essential part of the driving systems.

SUMMARY

According to some embodiments, a pool cleaner includes a chassis, ahousing supported by the chassis, at least one drive wheel supported bythe chassis, and a turbine assembly which rotates in one of a firstdirection and a second direction to drive the at least one drive wheel.The pool cleaner also includes a timer disc assembly with at least onerotating timer disc. The timer disc assembly controls a flow ofpressurized fluid away from the housing in a forward direction forbackward propulsion assistance of the pool cleaner during a first timeperiod, a rearward direction for forward propulsion assistance of thepool cleaner during a second time period, and a sideways direction forturning propulsion assistance of the pool cleaner during at least aportion of one of the first time period and the second time period. Thetimer disc assembly also controls a flow of pressurized fluid to theturbine assembly through a first opening for driving the turbineassembly in the first direction during the first time period and asecond opening for driving the turbine assembly in the second directionduring the second time period.

According to further embodiments, a pool cleaner comprises a housingincluding at least two wheels and a distributor manifold disposed on thehousing. A timer disc assembly is in communication with the distributormanifold. The timer disc assembly includes an outer housing, a pluralityof outlet ports extending through the outer housing, a rotating timerdisc positioned within the outer housing adjacent to the plurality ofoutlet ports, and at least one port seal liner positioned between one ofthe plurality of outlet ports and the rotating timer disc, the at leastone port seal liner including an elastomeric piece and a liner piece,the liner piece being in contact with the rotating timer disc.

Some embodiments of a pool cleaner include a chassis, a housing, and atleast one drive wheel supported by the chassis. A turbine assembly is incommunication with the at least one drive wheel. A timer disc assemblyincludes at least one rotating timer disc that controls a flow ofpressurized fluid to the turbine assembly through a first outlet portfor driving the turbine assembly in a first direction during a firsttime period, and a second outlet port for driving the turbine assemblyin a second direction during a second time period.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a front perspective view of a pool cleaner according to oneembodiment of the invention.

FIG. 2 is a rear perspective view of the pool cleaner of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a partial front perspective view of the pool cleaner of FIG.1.

FIG. 4 is a partial rear perspective view of the pool cleaner of FIG. 1.

FIG. 5A is a side cross-sectional view of the pool cleaner of FIG. 1.

FIG. 5B is a rear cross-sectional view of the pool cleaner of FIG. 1.

FIG. 5C is a top cross-sectional view of the pool cleaner of FIG. 1.

FIG. 6A is a perspective view of a lower manifold for use with a poolcleaner according to another embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 6B is a side cross-sectional view of the lower manifold of FIG. 6A.

FIG. 7A is a perspective view of a scrubber assembly of the pool cleanerof FIG. 1.

FIG. 7B is a partial perspective view of the scrubber assembly of FIG.7A.

FIG. 7C is a partial perspective view of the pool cleaner of FIG. 1.

FIG. 8A is a perspective view of a scrubber assembly for use with a poolcleaner according to another embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 8B is a partial perspective view of the scrubber assembly of FIG.8A.

FIG. 8C is another partial perspective view of the scrubber assembly ofFIG. 8A.

FIG. 9 is a partial bottom perspective view of the pool cleaner of FIG.1.

FIG. 10 is a perspective view of a timer assembly of the pool cleaner ofFIG. 1.

FIG. 11 is a side cross-sectional view of a timer disc assembly of thetimer assembly of FIG. 10.

FIG. 12 is an exploded perspective view of the timer assembly of FIG.11.

FIG. 13 is a perspective cross-sectional view of a turbine assembly ofthe pool cleaner of FIG. 1.

FIG. 14 is a perspective view of a timer valve gear box of the timerassembly of FIG. 10.

FIG. 15 is a partial perspective view of the timer valve gear box ofFIG. 14.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Before any embodiments of the invention are explained in detail, it isto be understood that the invention is not limited in its application tothe details of construction and the arrangement of components set forthin the following description or illustrated in the following drawings.The invention is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced orof being carried out in various ways. Also, it is to be understood thatthe phraseology and terminology used herein is for the purpose ofdescription and should not be regarded as limiting. The use of“including,” “comprising,” or “having” and variations thereof herein ismeant to encompass the items listed thereafter and equivalents thereofas well as additional items. Unless specified or limited otherwise, theterms “mounted,” “connected,” “supported,” and “coupled” and variationsthereof are used broadly and encompass both direct and indirectmountings, connections, supports, and couplings. Further, “connected”and “coupled” are not restricted to physical or mechanical connectionsor couplings.

The following discussion is presented to enable a person skilled in theart to make and use embodiments of the invention. Various modificationsto the illustrated embodiments will be readily apparent to those skilledin the art, and the generic principles herein can be applied to otherembodiments and applications without departing from embodiments of theinvention. Thus, embodiments of the invention are not intended to belimited to embodiments shown, but are to be accorded the widest scopeconsistent with the principles and features disclosed herein. Thefollowing detailed description is to be read with reference to thefigures, in which like elements in different figures have like referencenumerals. The figures, which are not necessarily to scale, depictselected embodiments and are not intended to limit the scope ofembodiments of the invention. Skilled artisans will recognize theexamples provided herein have many useful alternatives and fall withinthe scope of embodiments of the invention.

FIGS. 1 and 2 illustrate a pool cleaner 10 according to one embodimentof the invention. The pool cleaner 10 can be a pressure-side poolcleaner powered by a filtration pump of a swimming pool system or abooster pump and can be capable of automatically cleaning debris from afloor and/or sides of a swimming pool or spa. The pool cleaner 10 caninclude precise directional control, enhanced suction, and additionalscrubbing capabilities.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the pool cleaner 10 can include a coverassembly 12, including a front cover 14, a rear cover 16, a front grill18, a top cover 20, a bottom cover 22, and two side covers 24, 26. Thepool cleaner 10 can also include two front wheel assemblies 28 and tworear wheel assemblies 30. The front wheel assemblies 28 can includewheels 32 rotatable about stationary axles 34 via hub assemblies 35, asshown in FIGS. 3 and 4. The front wheel assemblies 28 can include innerteeth 36 and can each be driven by a rotating shaft 38 of a hydraulicturbine assembly 40 (as shown in FIG. 4) that engages the inner teeth36. In one embodiment, the outer portion of each wheel 32 can besubstantially smooth. In another embodiment, the outer portion of eachwheel 32 can include treads for better traction across the pool surface.The rear wheel assemblies 30 can freely rotate about stationary rearaxles 42 via hub assemblies 43 and can also include substantially smoothor treaded outer portions. The four-wheel design of the pool cleaner 10can provide better stability and resist tipping, in comparison toconventional three-wheel pool cleaners. In some embodiments, the coverassembly 12 and the wheel assemblies 28, 30 can be constructed ofplastic or similar materials. In addition to the hydraulic turbine wheelassembly 40, the motion of the pool cleaner can be driven by waterforced through thrust jets and/or thrust jet ports, such as a rearthrust jet 44, as shown in FIG. 2, or a front thrust jet port 46, asshown in FIG. 1.

FIGS. 3 and 4 illustrate the pool cleaner 10 with the cover assembly 12and wheel assemblies 28, 30 removed. As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the poolcleaner 10 can include a chassis 48, which can provide structuralsupport for the cover assembly 12 and other components of the poolcleaner 10, as well as the stationary axles 34, 42 for the front wheelassemblies 28 and the rear wheel assemblies 30, respectively. As shownin FIGS. 3 and 4, the chassis 48 can include receiving holes 50 forreceiving fasteners in order to couple the cover assembly 12 to thechassis 48. For example, at least some of the components of the coverassembly 12 can be coupled to the chassis 48 using fasteners and thereceiving holes 50. In addition, some of the components of the coverassembly 12 can be supported by the chassis 48 and held in place byother components of the cover assembly 12. The pool cleaner 10 can alsoinclude turn thrust jets 52 (e.g., in fluid communication with thrustjet ports 53 on the cover assembly 12, as shown in FIG. 2), a float 54,a supply mast 56 connected to a distributor manifold 58, a sweep hoseattachment 60 for receiving a sweep hose (not shown), a venturi vacuumassembly 62, a timer assembly 64, and a scrubber assembly 66. Also, insome embodiments, an inner side of the front grill 18 can include afront thrust jet (not shown) in fluid communication with the frontthrust jet port 46. The front thrust jet can be integral with the frontgrill 18 or a separate piece.

The supply mast 56 can be coupled to a hose (not shown) that receivespressurized water from the pool pump or booster pump. The supply mast 56can direct the pressurized water to the distributor manifold 58 forfurther distribution to specific components of the pool cleaner 10. Forexample, as shown in FIGS. 5A-5C, the distributor manifold 58 can atleast include an inlet 68 coupled to the supply mast 56, an outlet 70fluidly connected to the sweep hose attachment, one or more outlets 72fluidly connected to the venturi vacuum assembly 62, and one or moreoutlets 74 fluidly connected to the timer assembly 64. In someembodiments, as shown FIGS. 3 and 4, the distributor manifold 58 can besubstantially ring-shaped and can surround the venturi vacuum assembly62. In some embodiments, the supply mast 56 can be coupled to thedistributor manifold 58 by a press-fit and/or by fasteners. In addition,in some embodiments, the supply mast 56 can also, or alternatively, becoupled to the chassis 48 by a press-fit and/or fasteners.

In some embodiments, the venturi vacuum assembly 62 can vacuum, or pickup, debris from the pool surface and deposit the debris in a debriscollection system (not shown) coupled to a suction mast 76. As shown inFIGS. 5A-5B, the venturi vacuum assembly 62 can include the suction mast76, one or more venturi nozzle assemblies 78, and an attachment collar80. The suction mast 76 can be substantially cylindrical with an openbottom end 82 and an open top end 84. The attachment collar 80 can beremovably coupled to the open top end 84 of the suction mast 76 and canbe used to secure the debris collection system, such as a debris bag ora debris canister, to the suction mast 76 for collecting the retrieveddebris. The venturi nozzle assemblies 78 can be coupled to or integralwith the suction mast 76 near the open bottom end 84 and can eachinclude one or more jet nozzles 86 which provide a flow of pressurizedwater (e.g., from the distributor manifold 58) up through the suctionmast 76 in order to create a pressure difference, or venturi effect,within the suction mast 76. The pressure difference can cause asuctioning effect to vacuum up debris directly under and surrounding theopen bottom end 82 of the suction mast 76. In one embodiment, thesuction mast 76 can include cut-outs 87 for receiving the nozzleassemblies 78, as shown in FIG. 5A. In addition, in some embodiments,the bottom cover 22 can provide a substantially conical opening 88 thattapers inward toward the open bottom end 82 of the suction mast 76, asshown in FIGS. 5A-5B.

Conventional pressure-side pool cleaners generally include asingle-stage venturi system, where the jet nozzles are positioned alonga single horizontal plane. In some embodiments, as shown in FIG. 5B, theventuri vacuum assembly 62 can provide multiple stages of jet nozzles86, where each stage is along a horizontal plane and is verticallyoffset from another stage. The multi-stage venturi vacuum assembly 62can more efficiently suction debris from the pool surface, through thesuction mast 76, and into the debris bag or canister compared tosingle-stage venturi systems. More specifically, the multi-stage venturivacuum assembly 62 can increase water flow through the suction mast 76,and in turn provide improved suction for debris beyond the limits ofsize and geometry for single-stage venturi systems. For example, a firststage of jet nozzles 86 can lift debris into the suction mast 76 and asecond stage of jet nozzles 86 can help move the debris into the debriscollection system. In addition, the conical opening 88 tapering outwardfrom the open bottom end 82 can allow larger debris to enter the venturivacuum assembly 62.

FIGS. 5A-5B illustrate the venturi vacuum assembly 62, according to oneembodiment of the invention, with two stages of jet nozzles 86. Eachstage can include two jet nozzles 86 directed at an upward angle. Forexample, the first stage of jet nozzles 86 can be positioned adjacent tothe conical opening 88 of the bottom cover 22, below the open bottom end82 of the suction mast 76. The angles of the two jet nozzles 86 of thefirst stage can intersect at a point P₁ slightly above conical opening88 (e.g., within the suction mast 76), as shown in FIG. 5B. The secondstage jet nozzles 86 can be positioned around the periphery of thesuction mast 76, near the open bottom end 82 of the suction mast 76(e.g., vertically above the first stage jet nozzles 86). The angles ofthe two jet nozzles 86 of the second stage can intersect at a point P₂that is above the intersection point P₁ of the first stage jet nozzles86. In operation, pressurized water is forced through the first stageventuri jets 86 for initial suction of the debris directly under and/oraround the conical opening 88. Pressurized water is also forced throughthe second stage venturi jets 86 for additional suction action in orderto lift the debris through the suction mast 76 and into the debriscollection system.

In some embodiments, as shown in FIGS. 6A-6B, the venturi vacuumassembly 62 can include a separate lower manifold 90 that can bepress-fit or fastened to the suction mast 76 and/or the bottom cover 22.The lower manifold 90 can include the conical opening 88 with a firststage of jet nozzles 86, and a cylindrical section 92, positioned abovethe conical opening 88, including a second stage of jet nozzles 86. Insuch embodiments, the venturi vacuum assembly 62 can also includeconnector assemblies (not shown), which provide fluid pathways from theoutlet ports 72 of the distributor manifold 58 to the jet nozzles 86. Inother embodiments, the jet nozzles 86 and/or the conical section 88 canbe integral with the suction mast 76. In addition, in some embodiments,the jet nozzles 86 may be flush with the conical section 88, the suctionmast 76, and/or the lower manifold 90, as shown in FIGS. 5A-5B, or thejet nozzles 76 may extend outward from the conical section 88, thesuction mast 76, and/or the lower manifold 90, as shown in FIGS. 6A-6B.

In some embodiments, as shown in FIGS. 7A-8C, the scrubber assembly 66can be used as an add-on cleaning feature of the pool cleaner 10. As thepool cleaner 10 travels along the pool surface, the scrubber assembly 66can provide sweeping and scrubbing action against the pool surface inorder to lift and agitate debris. This can increase the amount of debristhat is picked up by the venturi vacuum assembly 62. The scrubberassembly 66 may be attached to the pool cleaner 10 at all times, or maybe detached by a user when scrubbing is deemed unnecessary. Morespecifically, the pool cleaner 10 may operate without the scrubberassembly 66 attached, unlike many conventional pool cleaners withpermanent scrubbers.

In some embodiments, the scrubber assembly 66 can include an elastomericbristle 94 coupled to a rotary cylinder 96. For example, as shown inFIGS. 8A and 8B, portions of the elastomeric bristle 94 and portions ofthe rotary cylinder 96 can each include snap-on fittings 98 so that theelastomeric bristle 94 can be wrapped around the rotary cylinder 96 andthe respective snap-on fittings 98 snapped together. As shown in FIGS.7B and 8C, the scrubber assembly 66 can also include a center shaft 100,and pinion gears 102, bearings 104, and end brackets 106 at each end ofthe center shaft 100. The end brackets 106 can each house or at leastsupport one of the pinion gears 102 and can be coupled to the centershaft 100. The center shaft 100 can provide support for the rotarycylinder 96 and the bearings 104 (e.g., ball bearings) can allow freerotation of the rotary cylinder 96 about the center shaft 100.

The pinion gears 102 can control the rotation of the rotary cylinder 96.More specifically, the rotary cylinder 96 can include an internal spurgear profile 108 on one or both ends, as shown in FIGS. 7A and 8A, whichcan engage the pinion gears 102. At least one of the pinion gears 102can be engaged with a spur gear 109, which is further engaged with theinner teeth 36 of at least one of the front wheel assemblies 28, asshown in FIG. 7C. As a result, forward and/or backward rotation of thefront wheel assemblies 28 can drive rotation of the rotary cylinder 96in the same direction. The pinion gear 102 can engage the spur gear 109via a pinion gear shaft 110. The spur gear 109 can extend through abearing 111 positioned in the chassis 48 to engage the pinion gear shaft110. In addition, a bracket 113 can be positioned adjacent to the frontwheel assembly 28 to support the spur gear 109.

As discussed above, the scrubber assembly 66 can be removed or detachedfrom the pool cleaner 10. For example, the chassis 48 can include adetachable piece 115, as shown in FIG. 3. The detachable piece 115 canbe screwed onto or otherwise coupled to the chassis 48 around one the ofthe pinion gear shafts 110 (e.g., on the opposite side from the spurgear 109). More specifically, the detachable piece 115 can be detachedfrom the chassis 48, the scrubber assembly 66 can then be engaged withthe spur gear 109 (e.g., to attach the scrubber assembly 66) or pulledaway from the spur gear 109 (e.g., to detach the scrubber assembly 66),and then the detachable piece 115 can be reattached to the chassis 48.In some embodiments, at least a portion of the pinion gear shaft 110 canbe spring loaded (e.g., biased away from the end brackets 106) to aid inattachment or detachment of the scrubber assembly 66 from the poolcleaner 10. As a result of the scrubber assembly 66 being coupled to thechassis 48 by the detachable piece 115, the scrubber assembly 66 can beremoved or attached to the pool cleaner 10 without requiring removal ofone or both front wheel assemblies 28.

As shown in FIGS. 7A-8C, the pinion gears 102 can be aligned off-centerfrom the center shaft 100. As a result, the end brackets 106, as well asthe other components of the scrubber assembly 66, can swing about thepinion gears 102, allowing the scrubber assembly 66 to substantiallylift itself over objects or large debris on the pool surface. Thus, thescrubber assembly 66 can provide additional floor sweeping duringforward and/or reverse motion of the pool cleaner 10 without damagingthe pool surface. For example, the scrubber assembly 66 can lift itselfover large particles to avoid pushing such particles across the poolsurface. In addition, the elastomeric bristle 94 can be soft enough tonot cause wear along the pool surface.

The end brackets 106 of the scrubber assembly 66 can each include an arm112 that can limit the swing or lift of the scrubber assembly 66. Insome embodiments, the arms 112 can be substantially resilient (e.g.,acting as spring members). As shown in FIG. 5A, the bottom cover 22 caninclude a front step 204 and a rear step 206. The front step 204 and/orthe rear step 206 can be indentations or curvatures across the length ofthe bottom cover 22 or indentations located only adjacent to the arms112. During forward movement of the pool cleaner 10, the scrubberassembly 66 can lift over an object causing the end brackets 106 torotate around the pinion gears 102 in a forward direction (e.g., in acounterclockwise direction relative to the side view shown in FIG. 5A).After a certain amount of forward rotation, the arms 112 can contact thefront step 204, thus limiting the rotation of the scrubber assembly 66.The arms 112 can compress against the front step 204 as the pool cleaner10 continues to move over the object and, in part due to theirresiliency, can force the end brackets 106 to rotate back to theiroriginal position when the object has been passed over. In a similarfashion, during backward movement of the pool cleaner 10, the scrubberassembly 66 can lift over an object causing the end brackets 106 torotate around the pinion gears 102 in a backward direction (e.g., in aclockwise direction relative to the side view shown in FIG. 5A). After acertain amount of backward rotation, the arms 112 can contact the rearstep 206, thus limiting the rotation of the scrubber assembly 66.Gravity and/or spring action of the arms 112 can force the end brackets106 to rotate back to their original, resting position when the objecthas been passed over.

In some embodiments, the timer assembly 64 can control forward movement,turning, and reverse movement of the pool cleaner 10. The timer assembly64 can also control the timing for each movement state (e.g., forwardmovement, reverse movement, and one or more turning movements) of thepool cleaner 10. As described above, the timer assembly 64 can receivewater from the distributor manifold 58. The timer assembly 64 canredirect the incoming water from the distributor manifold 58 to controlthe movement state of the pool cleaner 10, as described below.

As shown in FIGS. 9 and 10, the timer assembly 64 can include a timerdisc assembly 114 and a timer valve gear box 116. The timer discassembly 114 can provide alignment of fluid pathways between theincoming water from the distributor manifold 58 and different outletports 118-128, as shown in FIG. 11, for control of the movement state ofthe pool cleaner 10. The timer valve gear box 116 can provide ahydraulic timer that controls the alignment of the fluid pathways in thetimer disc assembly 114 so that the pool cleaner 10 is in a specificmovement state for a set or predetermined time period.

As shown in FIGS. 9-12, the timer disc assembly 114 can include an outerhousing 130, such as a top cover 132 and a bottom cover 134. The outerhousing 130 can include an inlet port 136, as shown in FIG. 12, whichcan receive water from the distributor manifold 58 and a plurality ofoutlet ports 118-128 which can provide water to one or more locations ofthe pool cleaner 10, as described below. The inlet port 136 and theoutlet ports 118-128 can merely be holes extending through a portion ofthe outer housing 130, or can also include extensions from the outerhousing 130 to facilitate coupling connectors (e.g., a distributormanifold connector 138 or a chassis connection 140) or port elbows 142to the outer housing 130. In one embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 11 and12, the outer housing 130 can include four outlet ports 118-124extending through the top cover 132 and two outlet ports 126, 128extending through the bottom cover 134. In addition, o-rings 144 can bepositioned between the port elbows 142 and the outer housing 130 so thatwater exiting the outlet ports 118-126 may only exit through the portelbows 142. In some embodiments, some of the port elbows 142 can besubstituted with stand-alone connectors or connectors integral with thechassis 48 or cover assembly 12 (not shown).

The outer housing 130 can be substantially sealed, for example by one ormore seals 146, press-fitting, and/or fasteners (not shown) so thatwater entering the inlet port 136 can only exit the outer housing 130via the outlet ports 118-128. Internal components of the timer discassembly 114, as further described below, can control which outlet ports118-128 the water may exit from. More specifically, the internalcomponents can periodically block or unblock one or more of the outletports 118-128 and the pool cleaner 10 can be driven in a specificmovement state depending on which of the outlet ports 118-128 areblocked and unblocked.

In some embodiments, as shown in FIGS. 11 and 12, the timer discassembly 114 can include one or more timer discs 148, 150, a spring 152,one or more port seal liners 154, a pinion gear 156, and a pinion gearshaft 158. The timer discs 148, 150, the spring 152, the port sealliners 154, and the pinion gear 156 can be substantially enclosed by theouter housing 130. The pinion gear shaft 158 can extend through theouter housing 130 and into the timer valve gear box 116. As furtherdescribed below, the pinion gear shaft 158 can be rotated by componentswithin the timer valve gear box 116. Rotation of the pinion gear shaft158 can cause rotation of the pinion gear 156 within the outer housing130, and one or both of the timer discs 148, 150 can be rotated by thepinion gear 156. For example, as shown in FIG. 11, the larger timer disc148 can include a toothed portion 160 engaging with the pinion gear 156.In addition, the larger timer disc 148 can be coupled to or can engagewith the smaller timer disc 150 so that both timer discs 148, 150 canrotate in unison.

Each of the timer discs 148, 150 can include one or more slots 162extending through them, as shown in FIG. 12. The slots 162 can belocated along the timer discs 148, 150 so that, during the respectiverotations of the timer discs 148, 150, the slots 162 can align with oneor more of the outlet ports 118-128, allowing water to exit the outerhousing 130 via the respective outlet ports 118-128 and/or the timerdiscs 148, 150 can substantially block one or more of the outlet ports118-128, preventing water to exit the outer housing 130 via therespective outlet ports 118-128. The port seal liners 154 can bepositioned between the outlet ports 118-128 and the timer discs 148, 150in order to permit water out through the outlet ports 118-128 only whenone of the slots 162 of the timer discs 148, 150 is aligned with therespective outlet ports 118-128. The spring 152 can substantially forcethe timer discs 148, 150 away from each other and against the outerhousing 130. This can result in a better seal between the port sealliners 154 and the timer discs 148, 150. In some embodiments, as shownin FIG. 12, the outer housing 130 can include outlined cavities 164which can each receive at least a portion of a port seal liner 154 inorder to keep the port seal liner 154 correctly positioned adjacent tothe outlet ports 118-128 and prevent the port seal liner 154 from movingduring rotation of the timer discs 148, 150.

In some embodiments, as shown in FIGS. 11 and 12, each of the port sealliners 154 can include an elastomeric piece 166 molded onto a lowerdensity liner 168. As the stationary port seal liner 154 is in contactwith one of the rotating timer discs 148, 150, the lower density liner168 can provide less friction (e.g., from shear stresses) between theport seal liner 154 and the rotating timer disc 148, 150 in comparisonto conventional seals only using an elastomeric piece. This can reducethe wear and increase the lifetime of the port seal liner 154. Theelastomeric piece 166 of the port seal liner 154 can act as a spring toengage the seal between the port seal liner 154 and the outlet port118-128. As shown in FIG. 12, each port seal liner 154 can include twoholes, and as a result, can seal one or two outlet ports 118-128. Insome embodiments, one or more port seal liners 154 can include a singlehole so that one or more outlet ports 118-128 can be aligned with theirown respective port seal liner 154.

As described above, the pool cleaner 10 can be driven in a specificmovement state depending on which of the outlet ports 118-128 areblocked and unblocked. More specifically, some of the outlet ports118-128 can lead to different thrust jets of the pool cleaner 10 sothat, when an outlet port 118-128 is unblocked, water can exit the poolcleaner 10 through its respective thrust jet 44, 52 and/or thrust jetport 46, 53. The thrust jets 44, 52 and/or the thrust jet ports 46, 53can be positioned along the pool cleaner 10 to direct water outward fromthe pool cleaner 10 in a specific direction, providing propulsionassistance. For example, the rear thrust jet 44 can be positioned alongthe pool cleaner 10 to direct pressurized water away from the rear ofthe pool cleaner 10 to assist in forward motion. The turn thrust jets 52and the turn thrust jet ports 53 can be positioned on either side of thepool cleaner 10 to direct pressurized water away from the side of thepool cleaner 10 to assist in turning motion. The front thrust jet can bepositioned along the pool cleaner 10 to direct pressurized water awayfrom the front of the pool cleaner 10 to assist in backward motion.

In addition, one or more of the outlet ports 118-128 can lead to thehydraulic turbine assembly 40 of the pool cleaner 10, as furtherdescribed below. Due to the sealing between the top cover 132 and thebottom cover 134, the sealing between each of the outlet ports 118-128and the port elbows 142 and/or connectors 138, 140, and the minimal wearport seal liners 154 between the timer discs 148, 150 and the outletports 118-128, the timer disc assembly 114 can remain substantially leakproof. As a result, water exiting through the outlet ports 118-128 canremain at optimal pressure, providing improved propulsion assistance aswell as improved driving force for the turbine assembly 40.

As described above, the pool cleaner 10 can include the first rear turnthrust jet 52, the second rear turn thrust jet 52, the rear thrust jet44, and the front thrust jet (not shown). The pool cleaner 10 can alsoinclude the thrust jet ports 46, 53 in fluid communication with the rearthrust jets 52 and the front thrust jet, respectively. One of the outerport elbows 142 coupled to outlet ports 118 or 124 can be fluidlyconnected to the rear thrust jet 44 to assist forward propulsion of thepool cleaner 10 (i.e., the forward movement state). One of the innerport elbows 142 coupled to outlet port 120 or 122 can be fluidlyconnected to the first turn thrust jet 52 and the other one of the innerport elbows coupled to outlet port 122 or 120 can be fluidly connectedto the second rear thrust jet 52. The slots 162 can be located on thetimer disc 148 so that only one of outlet ports 120, 122 is unblocked ata time. As a result, when one of the outlet ports 120, 122 is unblocked,water will be routed to one of the turn thrust jets 52 to assist inturning the pool cleaner 10 (i.e., one of the turn movement states). Thebottom port elbow 142 coupled to outlet port 126 can be fluidlyconnected to the front thrust jet to assist in backward propulsion ofthe pool cleaner 10 (i.e., the backward movement state). The timer discs148, 150 can be positioned relative to each other so that when thebottom outlet port 126 is unblocked (e.g., allowing water to exit thepool cleaner 10 through the front thrust jet), all four of the topoutlet ports 118-124 are blocked (e.g., blocking water from exiting thepool cleaner 10 via the rear thrust jet 44 or the turn thrust jets 52).In addition, the slots 162 can be located on the timer discs 148, 150 sothat one of the outer outlet ports 118, 124 can substantially always beunblocked when one of the inner outlet ports 120, 122 is unblocked.

In some embodiments, the thrust jets 44, 52 can be stand-alone piecescoupled to the pool cleaner 10 or the thrust jets 44, 52 can be integralwith the chassis 48 or cover assembly 12. In addition, the front thrustjet can be integral with the front grill 18 so that it in direct fluidcommunication with the front thrust jet port 46, and the turn thrust jetports 53 can be aligned with the turn thrust jets 52. As a result, thefront thrust jet and the turn thrust jets 52 may not extend outward fromthe cover assembly 12. Fluid connections between the port elbows 142(and/or connectors 138, 140) and the thrust jets 44, 52 (and/or otherinlets/outlets of the pool cleaner 10) can be accomplished via tubing orsimilar connections (not shown). In other embodiments, the front thrustjet and/or the turn thrust jets 52 can extend through the cover assemblyso that the thrust jet ports 46, 53 are not necessary. Similarly, inother embodiments, the rear thrust jet 44 can remain enclosed within thecover assembly 12 and can align with a rear thrust jet port (not shown)along the cover assembly 12.

As discussed above, one or more of the outlet ports 118-128 can befluidly connected to the hydraulic turbine assembly 40 via port elbows142, connectors 140, etc. to provide water pressure for driving thehydraulic turbine assembly 40 in a forward direction and/or a backwarddirection. The hydraulic turbine assembly 40 can include a turbine wheel172 and the turbine shaft 38. The turbine wheel 172 can be housed withina turbine housing 174, which can be completely or partially separatefrom, or integral with, the chassis 48 and/or cover assembly 12. Theturbine shaft 38 can be pinion shaped or otherwise threaded and canengage the inner teeth 36 of the front wheel assemblies 28, as describedabove. Rotation of the turbine shaft 38 can thus cause the front wheelassemblies 28 to rotate and drive the pool cleaner 10. The turbinehousing 174 can include one or more openings 176, 178 to allow a streamof incoming water through the turbine housing 174. This stream ofincoming water can be directed toward the turbine wheel 172 to causerotation of the turbine wheel 172, and thus causes rotation of theturbine shaft 38.

In one embodiment, as shown in FIG. 13, the turbine housing 174 caninclude a first opening 176 and a second opening 178. The first opening176 can be fluidly connected to an upper outer port elbow 142 so that,when the respective outlet port 118 is unblocked, water can be directedinto the turbine housing 174 to drive the pool cleaner 10 in a forwardmotion. The second opening 178 can be fluidly connected to the lowerconnector 140 so that, when the respective outlet port 128 is unblocked,water can be directed into the turbine housing 174 to drive the poolcleaner 10 in a backward direction. The timer discs 148, 150 can bepositioned relative to each other so that only one of the openings 176,178 may receive incoming water at a time. In some embodiments, water canleak out from a side of the turbine housing 174 after entering one ofthe openings 176, 178 to drive the turbine wheel 172.

In some embodiments, the timer valve gear box 116 can be used to drivethe rotation of the timer discs 148, 150. As shown in FIGS. 14 and 15,the timer valve gear box 116 can include a gear box housing 182, such asa bottom plate 184 and a top cover 186 coupled together via a press-fit,fasteners (not shown), or other coupling methods, a paddle wheel 188, apaddle wheel shaft 190, paddle wheel bearings 192, and a gear train 194including a plurality of gears 196 rotatable about one or more shafts198. The gear box housing 182 can include an inlet 200 and an outlet 202to allow a stream of water to flow through the timer valve gear box 116.The paddle wheel 188 can be positioned in line with the stream of waterso that the water causes rotation of the paddle wheel 188. Rotation ofthe paddle wheel 188 can engage the gear train 194 to cause rotation ofthe gear train 194 (e.g., the paddle wheel 188 can act as the drivinggear of the gear train 194). The number and positioning of the gears 196can provide a desired gear ratio relative to the paddle wheel 188 toachieve a required speed and torque for running the timer discs 148, 150at a desired rate. A final gear 196 of the gear train 194 can be coupledto the pinion shaft 158 of the timer disc assembly 114 via a final gearshaft 198 extending through the top cover 186. As a result, rotation ofthe final gear shaft 198 can cause rotation of the timer discs 148, 150.In one embodiment, a desired rotation rate of the final gear 196 can beabout 0.9 revolutions per minute. Rotation rate can vary depending onthe original rotation rate of the paddle wheel 188, which is based onthe incoming stream of water. As a result, changes in pool pump orbooster pump output pressure can sometimes affect the rotation rate ofthe timer discs 148, 150.

The timer valve gear box 116 and the timer disc assembly 114 can achievedesired cycles of forward, backward and turning movement states. Thetimer valve gear box 116 (e.g., the gear ratios) can be designed toachieve an optimal cycle time needed for efficient cleaning. Forexample, a full cycle can be considered the following: right turn,backward movement, right turn, forward movement, left turn, backwardmovement, left turn, forward movement. The time in each movement statecan depend on the rotation of the timer discs 148, 150 as well as thesize of the slots 162 (i.e., the amount of time each outlet port 118-128is blocked or unblocked). This precise timing and movement cycle canallow the pool cleaner 10 to efficiently clean the pool in asubstantially random motion, improving pool coverage and cleaning time.In addition, the timer valve gear box 116 and the timer disc assembly114 can be independent from the venturi vacuum assembly 62. As a result,the pool cleaner 10 can constantly vacuum debris during all movementstates, in comparison to conventional pool cleaners that require anon-vacuuming period for backward and/or turning movement.

It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that while theinvention has been described above in connection with particularembodiments and examples, the invention is not necessarily so limited,and that numerous other embodiments, examples, uses, modifications anddepartures from the embodiments, examples and uses are intended to beencompassed by the claims attached hereto. The entire disclosure of eachpatent and publication cited herein is incorporated by reference, as ifeach such patent or publication were individually incorporated byreference herein. Various features and advantages of the invention areset forth in the following claims.

1. A pool cleaner, comprising: a chassis; a housing supported by thechassis; at least one drive wheel supported by the chassis; a turbineassembly which rotates in one of a first direction and a seconddirection to drive the at least one drive wheel; a timer disc assemblyincluding at least one rotating timer disc that controls a flow ofpressurized fluid away from the housing in a forward direction forbackward propulsion assistance of the pool cleaner during a first timeperiod, a rearward direction for forward propulsion assistance of thepool cleaner during a second time period, and a sideways direction forturning propulsion assistance of the pool cleaner during at least aportion of one of the first time period and the second time period, anda flow of pressurized fluid to the turbine assembly through a firstopening for driving the turbine assembly in the first direction duringthe first time period and a second opening for driving the turbineassembly in the second direction during the second time period.
 2. Thepool cleaner of claim 1 further comprising a timer valve gear box whichcontrols a duration of the first time period and the second time period.3. The pool cleaner of claim 2, wherein the timer valve gear box iscoupled to the timer disc assembly and controls a desired rotation rateof the at least one rotating timer disc.
 4. The pool cleaner of claim 3,wherein the timer valve gear box includes a hydraulically driven paddlewheel engaged with a gear train, the gear train drives a pinion gearengaging with the at least one rotating timer disc at the desiredrotation rate.
 5. The pool cleaner of claim 1, wherein the at least onedrive wheel includes a first drive wheel positioned along one side ofthe housing and a second drive wheel positioned along an opposite sideof the housing.
 6. The pool cleaner of claim 1, wherein the timerassembly includes a plurality of outlets, wherein the at least onerotating timer disc controls the flow of pressurized fluid away from thehousing and the flow of pressurized fluid to the turbine assembly byperiodically blocking and unblocking the plurality of outlets.
 7. A poolcleaner, comprising: a housing including at least two wheels; adistributor manifold disposed on the housing; and a timer disc assemblyin communication with the distributor manifold, the timer disc assemblyincluding an outer housing; a plurality of outlet ports extendingthrough the outer housing; a rotating timer disc positioned disposedwithin the outer housing adjacent to the plurality of outlet ports; andat least one port seal liner positioned between one of the plurality ofoutlet ports and the rotating timer disc, the at least one port sealliner including an elastomeric piece and a liner piece, the liner piecebeing in contact with the rotating timer disc.
 8. The pool cleaner ofclaim 7, wherein the timer disc assembly further comprises a springpositioned to press the rotating timer disc against the inner surface ofthe outer housing.
 9. The pool cleaner of claim 7, wherein the timerdisc assembly further comprises a spring positioned to press therotating timer disc against the liner piece.
 10. The pool cleaner ofclaim 7, wherein the inner surface of the outer housing includes acavity, wherein the port seal liner is positioned within the cavity toprevent movement of the port seal liner during rotation of the rotatingtimer disc.
 11. The pool cleaner of claim 7, wherein the elastomericpiece and the liner are molded together.
 12. The pool cleaner of claim7, wherein the timer disc assembly receives water from the distributormanifold.
 13. The pool cleaner of claim 12, wherein the water receivedfrom the distributor manifold is pressurized.
 14. The pool cleaner ofclaim 13, wherein the timer disc assembly redirects pressurized waterreceived from the distributor manifold to control movement of the poolcleaner.
 15. The pool cleaner of claim 7, wherein the plurality ofoutlet ports are in communication with a turbine assembly.
 16. A poolcleaner, comprising: a chassis; a housing and at least one drive wheelsupported by the chassis; a turbine assembly in communication with theat least one drive wheel; and a timer disc assembly including at leastone rotating timer disc that controls a flow of pressurized fluid to theturbine assembly through a first outlet port for driving the turbineassembly in a first direction during a first time period, and a secondoutlet port for driving the turbine assembly in a second directionduring a second time period.
 17. The pool cleaner of claim 16, whereinthe first outlet port is in fluid communication with a first thrust jetand the second outlet port is in fluid communication with a secondthrust jet.
 18. The pool cleaner of claim 16, wherein the pressurizedfluid is directed to the turbine assembly via a third outlet port. 19.The pool cleaner of claim 18, wherein the turbine assembly is rotatedvia the pressurized fluid.
 20. The pool cleaner of claim 19, whereinrotation of the turbine assembly causes the at least one drive wheel torotate.